Hot or Not - FPL Double Gameweek 37

Who’s HOT and who’s NOT in the world of Fantasy Premier League Double Gameweek 37

Thank you for reading ‘Fantasy Premier League Tips: Hot or Not – FPL Double Gameweek 37’ which was written by @DannyBryan27

Hello and welcome to the penultimate edition of ‘Who’s HOT and who’s NOT’ for the 2016/17 season.

Here I’ll be assessing which players in the world of Fantasy Premier League are ready to help you keep up your position at the top, or perform a late smash-and-grab to trump all your pals as the climax to yet another thrilling Premier League season draws ever closer.

The big winners in Gameweek 36 were Chelsea, who took full advantage of Tottenham’s slip-up by seeing off Middlesbrough, leaving them just one win away from being crowned champions once again.

Gameweek 37 is a hectic affair spanning six days, including double Gameweeks for several clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City, so it’s never been a better time to choose wisely. To stick or to twist? To keep the faith or to take some calculated risks? Here are my thoughts ahead of Gameweek 37…

As always I wish all FPL bosses the very best of luck. Here’s to a late flurry of green arrows!

HOT

Gary Cahill – Chelsea

Chelsea have one hand on the Premier League trophy after their comfortable 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough in Gameweek 36 – a result which confirmed Boro’s relegation.
Gameweek 37 sees Antonio Conte’s side travel to West Brom, followed by a home fixture against Watford three days later. A win in either of these games will be enough to secure a fifth Premier League crown for the Blues.

Chelsea have registered back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since January, and face two sides in Gameweek 37 who have struggled for goals of late. Gameweek 36 saw West Brom score for the first time in six, while Watford have failed to score on the road since January.

With this in mind, there’s a good chance that Chelsea will pick up a double clean-sheet, making Gary Cahill an absolute must for Gameweek 37. What’s more, the England defender has found his scoring touch in recent weeks, netting twice in the last three Gameweeks.

David Silva – Manchester City

Gameweek 37 is also a double Gameweek for Manchester City, who face Leicester at home followed by West Brom away.

Pep Guardiola’s side were in scintillating form in Gameweek 36 as they breezed past Crystal Palace at the Etihad, led by David Silva. The Spanish playmaker was a constant threat after breaking the deadlock inside two minutes.

City still have work to do to secure a top-four place with Arsenal now breathing down their necks, and will be looking to the likes of Silva to provide that much-needed experience and creativity heading into these crucial last few games.

Perhaps a tad expensive at £8.6m, however if you’ve got some money to play with and fancy shaking up your midfield then Silva could be an excellent addition for Gameweek 37. He’s currently selected by just 2.4% of FPL bosses, so is well worth a gamble if you’re playing catch-up and are in need of some alternative picks.

Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal

They couldn’t do it again, could they? After the very public outpouring of disapproval towards Arsene Wenger, Arsenal are now in pole-position to sneak into the Champions League places yet again, should Liverpool or Manchester City slip up in their last few fixtures.

Wins against both Manchester United and Southampton in Gameweek 36 have seen the Gunners climb to within just one point of Manchester City, and four behind Liverpool with a game in hand. What’s more, Arsenal have two very winnable fixtures in Gameweek 37 – a home game against Stoke followed by a trip to the Stadium of Light to face already relegated Sunderland.

If Arsenal are to do the impossible and sneak into that top-four, they’re going to need some big performances from Alexis Sanchez, their star man. The Chilean was instrumental in their victory over Southampton and is a must for Gameweek 37, even at £11.6m.

NOT

Gareth McAuley – West Brom

Although this is a double Gameweek for West Brom, they face two incredibly tough looking fixtures. A home game against the champions-elect, Chelsea, followed by a trip to Manchester City who still have plenty of business to take care of.

The Baggies have been sitting pretty in eighth place since Gameweek 19, and to maintain that would represent a fantastic season for Tony Pulis and his team. However, they’ve struggled for form recently, with no clean-sheets since a 0-0 draw against Manchester United in Gameweek 30.
Despite this, McAuley remains the FPL’s second-most popular defender, with a selection percentage of almost 28 at the time of writing. Given the fixtures they have, leaving him in for Gameweek 37 is seriously risky business.

An ideal alternative comes in the shape of Everton’s Mason Holgate. The young full-back has started each of the last seven games and costs just £4.1m. Gameweek 37 sees the Toffees face a Watford side at Goodison Park who have failed to score in their last five away games.

Roberto Firmino – Liverpool

Liverpool’s lacklustre performance against Southampton in Gameweek 36 has opened the door for the likes of Arsenal, who are now hot on the heels of Jurgen Klopp’s men. Gameweek 37 sees the Reds travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham, who effectively ended Tottenham’s title hopes in Gameweek 36. Could they upset the apple cart twice in as many weeks?

With no goals or assists in any of the last three Gameweeks, Roberto Firmino is one to avoid for Gameweek 37, especially when you consider the abundance of other options available – most of which come with the added bonus of a double Gameweek.

As far as ideal replacements go, take your pick from the Manchester City trio of David Silva, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling. Chelsea’s Spanish duo of Cesc Fabregas and Pedro are also alternatives worth considering.

Christian Benteke – Crystal Palace

After three-straight defeats, Palace are back in relegation trouble. Sam Allardyce’s side need just one more point from their remaining two games to secure Premier League survival, but face a Hull side in Gameweek 37 who are also desperate for points – especially after their disappointing home loss against Sunderland last time out.

It is sure to be a tense afternoon at Selhurst Park, particularly if Swansea take all three points in their game against Sunderland. Palace have failed to score in three games – form that will no-doubt be encouraging for the visitors.

Whilst I don’t think that Benteke falls into the category of ‘must get rid’, there are some interesting alternatives worth exploring for Gameweek 37, particularly if you have some cash to spare – Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud being two of them – given that it’s a double Gameweek for both.

Other alternatives coming slightly more out of left field are Marcus Rashford and Manolo Gabbiadini, who also have double Gameweeks.

Thank you for reading ‘Fantasy Premier League Tips: Hot or Not – FPL Double Gameweek 36’ which was written by @DannyBryan27

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